Day 159: What Is A Hero?

Two days ago I said that I would discuss this notion I’ve been carrying around with me for the past five years about what a hero is; I intend to be very candid in this entry so if it perhaps doesn’t align with your views on what makes a hero a hero, or if you feel it, in any way, belittles the selfless acts of people you know…

Suck it up, or get out

Now that I’ve prefaced this with the ‘parental advisory’ warning, we can rip of the PG13 sticker and really take a swing at this bitch of a notion.

This is simple. To me a hero is a person who goes above and beyond what is expected of them, someone of outstanding moral character who will willingly place themselves in danger for the betterment of others. They’re not perfect, they’ve got their own set of vices but they always put the wants and needs of others before their own, they’re indomitable, adamant in their resolve and belief that: it is the duty of the strong to act as guardians for the weak and stand in the defence of those who cannot protect themselves.

Or put in other words:

A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the will for persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. -Christopher Reeve

And

I believe a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people. -Maya Angelou

Simple really. It’s perhaps a bit cut and dry for some, but not for me.

To earn the mantle of ‘Hero’ necessitates the assiduous adherence to upstanding morals, the courage to push forwards despite being afraid and never, ever, giving up so long as there’s hope to help a single person.